As if the University of Victoria Vikes women鈥檚 soccer team needed any more motivation when the hated UBC Thunderbirds pay a visit to Centennial Stadium this afternoon to kick off the sa国际传媒 West season.
Along comes the Legends Cup. The new competition between the two rival schools will see points awarded to winning teams in all varsity sports. The women鈥檚 soccer game is the first event in the inaugural competition.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 have to say a lot on Saturday because even the first years understand this rivalry,鈥� Vikes head coach Tracy David said in a statement. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how significant this game is. That鈥檚 what our focus is. They will be ready to play. I have no doubt about that.鈥�
And the Vikes will have their fair share of first-years. After reaching the national championship tournament a year ago, and finishing fifth, several key veterans, including defender Elise Butler and midfielder Emily Lieuwen, have graduated. So David spent a busy off-season scouring the Island, mainland and Alberta for new talent.
And she found some.
The 2018 freshmen class includes three stand-out high schoolers from Alberta 鈥� forward Mackenzie Ringrose of Edmonton鈥檚 Strathcona High school, fellow striker Ali Martin from Calgary鈥檚 William Aberhart High School and defender Eryn Libert-Scott from Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School in Calgary.
Add in Island high school stars Emma Dewitt (Cowichan), Abby MacKenzie (Reynolds) and Annalyn Kind (Reynolds), and David is confident the Vikes won鈥檛 miss a beat this season.
David鈥檚 young team got some work in recently against the likes of Vancouver Island University, Peninsula College and Western Washington, and she knows the Thunderbirds will be revved up for the opener.
鈥淧reseason has gone well for us,鈥� Davis added. 鈥淚 would have liked to have more competitive games but it鈥檚 tough to get a lot of good quality competition over here.
鈥淚 know that UBC has had a fantastic preseason in terms of the teams they have played. They played lots of NCAA Division 1 schools so they are going to be rocking and rolling, of course, but we are going to be ready to go.鈥�
If the Vikes aren鈥檛 as prolific up front this year, no worries. Teams will have a tough time putting the ball in the UVic net thanks to the return of standout keeper Puck Louwes. Louwes had 10 conference shutouts last season en route to being named an U Sports First Team All-Canadian and the UVic Female Co-Athlete of the Year.
The Vikes also bring back defender Katie Carrothers, who enters her fifth year at UVic.
The UVic men began their sa国际传媒 West season on Friday night, albeit a little later than expected.
Bruce Wilson鈥檚 Vikes, who were supposed to start their season last weekend until the games in Prince George were postponed due poor air quality from forest fires around the province, fell 7-1 to the Trinity Western Spartans in Langley.
UVic will try to rebound on Sunday when they head to Abbotsford to take on the Fraser Valley Cascades.
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